Jerusalem is a Desolate House

JERUSALEM IS A DESOLATE HOUSE

                                                                                                            

The King, the Wedding Feast and the Citizens

Matthew 22:1-14 records a Kingdom of Heaven (God) parable told by Jesus.  A king (God the Father) was giving a wedding feast for His Son (Jesus).  Those initially invited to attend (the Judeans) refused.  In addition they mistreated and killed the messengers (prophets).  The reaction of the King as found in Matthew 22:7 is one of fury and destruction.

Matthew 22:7 NET  The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire.

The King sent His soldiers (Roman Military) and they set the city on fire (Jerusalem) and killed many of the murderers (Pharisees, Sadducees, experts of the law, and others).

Other messengers were sent into the streets (the nations) to invite others to the wedding feast.  Some attending were not properly dressed in garments of salvation and they were cast out.  The moral of the story can be found in Matthew 22:14:  “For many are called but few are chosen.”  This involves the first resurrection and the harpazo (catching away / rapture).  They will be the judges ruling with Christ during the Millennium. The remainder will await the 2^nd resurrection called the great White Throne Judgment.

Matthew 23 contains a series of “woes” given by Jesus to the Pharisees and the experts in the law residing in Jerusalem.  Jesus indicates, due to their knowledge concerning the death of prophets, they have the distinction of being the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Knowing He would soon be crucified by this group of legal experts and Pharisees, Jesus states, “Fill up then the measure of your ancestors”. 

All of Jerusalem at that time and today's current generation would be held liable for “all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah – Matthew 23:35”.  Jesus ends his discourse against the Pharisees and legal experts with the words recorded in verses 39 and 39, “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate”

Matthew 23:38-39 NET  Look, your house is left to you desolate!  (39)  For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!' "

Verse 39, “For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!' " may be saying they will not be included in the first resurrection but will have to wait for the second resurrection at the White Throne judgment occurring at the end of the Millennium.

Jeremiah’s Prophecy of the Destruction of Jerusalem

The desolation of Jerusalem first occurred when the city was destroyed by Babylon in 586 B.C.  It was again desolated in 70 AD by the Roman military. The third major desolation has yet to take place but it may be occurring soon.  This third desolation has been made known by Jeremiah who prophesied that the city would be destroyed so completely that it would not be repaired or rebuilt again.

The 18^th and 19^th chapters of Jeremiah contain a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel which was conquered and the inhabitants dispersed by Assyria around 640 BC.  The next section of the prophecy concerns the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. 

For the nation of Israel, in chapter 18, Jeremiah is told to go to the potter’s house and watch the potter shape wet clay into any form he desired.  Because Israel is still malleable as wet clay (and open to the Gospel) God would shape Israel in their dispersion among the nations as a potter shapes wet clay.

Jeremiah 18:6 NET  "I, the LORD, say: 'O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you, O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in this potter's hand.'

However, for the nation of Judah, Jeremiah was told to buy a previously made clay jar from the potter.  With several of the leaders of Jerusalem present to watch, Jeremiah was to take the jar and smash it to pieces in the valley of Ben-hinnom (Gehenna).  This clay jar would represent the nation of Judah and Jerusalem.  The pieces would not be put back together.

Jeremiah 19:11 NET  Tell them the LORD who rules over all says, 'I will do just as Jeremiah has done. I will smash this nation and this city as though it were a potter's vessel which is broken beyond repair. The dead will be buried here in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them.'

Hagar and Sarai

The current city of Jerusalem will not be spared at the last minute, as so many exegetes and Bible teachers have claimed.  Its destruction has been prophesied and proclaimed by God, even prior to the rebuilt city and temple by the Babylonian returnees.  Paul states in Galatians chapter 4 that Jerusalem is the slave woman named Hagar and she represents Mt. Sinai and the Old Covenant.  Only the New Jerusalem from God represents Sarai and the New Covenant.

Galatians 4:24-25 NET  These things may be treated as an allegory, for these women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar.  (25)  Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

Verse 30 further proclaims that Hagar (Jerusalem) and her children (Jews / and currently self-proclaimed Jews) will be thrown out and will not share the inheritance with the Son (Jesus Christ) and the New Covenant which will be the New Jerusalem.

Galatians 4:26 NET  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

It has been said the return of Christ (2^nd Coming) will occur somewhere around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem.  When He returns, everyone will see Him.

Revelation 1:7 LITV-TSP  (7)  "Behold, He comes with the clouds," and "every eye will see Him, and the ones who pierced" Him, and all the tribes of the earth "will wail on account of Him." Yes, Amen. Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:10

Everyone on the planet will mourn (wail / be sad / beat their breasts / be grieving / have bitter sorrow) at various levels of intensity.  The Jews may be the biggest mourners because:  they will finally realize at being duped and lied to by their religious leaders and historians; they will understand the Kingdom of God has been lost to them and that it was never in their power to gain; their desire to rule the world will be forever gone.  The ones reigning with Christ will be the first fruits (also called the overcomers, and the remnant of grace).  They will be reigning over the survivors of the wrath of God.

Repentance at the return of Christ will not change the previous verdicts that Jesus rendered just before He was crucified. It will not change Jeremiah’s prophecy of the utter destruction of Jerusalem. Instead, repentance will give Jews (and all other people) the opportunity to become citizens of the New Jerusalem, whereby they may be blessed along with all of its citizens.

The Ten Virgins & The Two Resurrections

THE TEN VIRGINS & THE TWO RESURRECTIONS

Matthew 25:1-13 KJV  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  (2)  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  (3)  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:  (4)  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  (5)  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  (6)  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  (7)  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  (8)  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  (9)  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  (10)  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.  (11)  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  (12)  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  (13)  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The parable of the ten virgins has several varied interpretations usually in the context of the true saved Christian who will be raptured versus the fake unsaved Christian who will not be raptured.  In my opinion, this interpretation is entirely wrong as will be discussed.  Like most parables, this one specifically refers to the kingdom of Heaven which is that kingdom of God to be established on the earth in the future. 

Two Resurrections

The Bible speaks of two resurrections not counting the resurrection of Jesus, and the raising from the dead performed by Jesus of various people including Lazarus, the little girl, and a few at the death of Christ.  The first resurrection, sometimes called the “rapture”, occurs at the return of Jesus prior to the wrath of God and will include the living and the dead saints, but not necessarily all of them.  Dr. Stephen Jones calls this the resurrection of the “first fruits” or overcomers.  This will not include all Christians who have received salvation by the grace of God, but only the righteous overcomers who have placed their complete trust in Jesus and have truly learned to forgive everyone regardless of the injustice they may have suffered.

The story of Job would be an extreme case of an overcomer who never placed any blame on God, himself, or another person but maintained a forgiving spirit.  He was greatly honored and rewarded by God in life and presumably also in the next life.

These first resurrection overcomers will be rewarded as the judges and rulers of the earth under the reign of Jesus during the length or time span of the Millennium.  There will be surviving humans after the wrath of God who will live on the earth and procreate and die during the one thousand years.

The second resurrection occurs at the end of the Millennium (not the end of time but during the post Millennial age) and will include the remainder of the righteous and all the unrighteous.  This will be the time of the White Throne Judgment. 

Revelation 20:5 KJV  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.

The final sentence of verse 20:5 reads “This is the first resurrection” and is a parenthetical statement referring to the events stated in verses 1 through 4, and not to the first sentence of verse 5.

Revelation 20:11-12 KJV  (11)  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  (12)  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

The book of life contains the names of the people of God or the Church in general who were not the overcomers of the first resurrection.  They will undergo a mild form of correction and be given glorified bodies.  The general books, which are probably the books of the laws of God, will be for the unrighteous and the unsaved.  Their discipline will be more severe and will necessitate the lake of fire which is the fiery law of God.  For more information concerning the lake of fire go to the following link:  The Lake of Fire

For more information concerning the resurrections and the judgment, you may click the following link: The Last Ages & the Resurrections

Virgins are Saved

This parable and similar others have always been difficult to comprehend by those who do not understand the two resurrections and the ones who will be impacted by the two resurrections.  All are virgins; all have a lamp with oil; all are waiting at the door; all fall asleep; and all awaken at the call and trim their lamps.  The only difference is that five have extra lamp oil and five do not.  Does this mean that 5 will be raptured (resurrected) and five will burn in hell?  No, but that is the usual conclusion arrived at by most Bible teachers and theological people.

Please note the main characters of this parable are presented as ten virgins and not 5 virgins accompanied by 5 whores.  They are all virgins and thus are righteous individuals saved by the grace of the Lord.  However, five are prepared with an abundance of lamp oil and five are not prepared.

The five prepared individuals are the overcomers and will be allowed into the door for the wedding feast.  They are the “first fruits” and will take part in the first resurrection.  The five unprepared virgins will not be allowed into the door of the first resurrection but will be raised at the second resurrection, which will include both the righteous, with the laws of God issues, and various levels of unrighteousness.  This resurrection was taught in the parables of the sheep and goats and the wheat and tares.  No one will be destroyed but all will be disciplined by the law of God.  Some with few stripes (probably symbolic) and others with the fiery laws of God as symbolized by the lake of fire of Revelation and the stream of fire coming from the throne of God in the book of Daniel.

Acts 24:14-15 KJV  But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:  (15)  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

It is my opinion, and also that of others, the lake of fire is not an eternal torment but a corrective method of the law of God for discipline and teaching.

Oil

The first fruits offering was a wave offering of barley which was to be mixed or anointed with oil which is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.  The first fruits is symbolic of the first resurrection.  Oil was used to anoint a king and for the consecration of priests.

Leviticus 23:13 KJ3  And its food offering shall be two tenths part of flour mixed with oil, a fire offering to Jehovah, a sweet fragrance; and its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine.

The virgins with an abundance of oil (Holy Spirit) were prepared to participate as the barley first fruits offering.  The second unprepared group would miss the barley offering and could only participate in the following wheat offering which would require threshing; the burning of the chaff; and to be cooked with leaven, which is symbolic of sin.  A study of wheat in the Bible teaches us about the Church in general and the manner in which the Church is raised and judged briefly in the second resurrection.  Barley is the first grain to ripen, is free of chaff, requires no threshing, and can be separated by waving the sheath.  Wheat becomes mature much later than barley, requires threshing, and the chaff residue must be removed.  The two Old Testament grain offerings of barley and wheat symbolize of represent the two levels of resurrection. 

All will be resurrected and receive eternal life but all will not be resurrected at the same time.  The first resurrection (rapture) will be the first fruits or the overcomers.  The second resurrection will occur toward the end of the millennium and will be the grain offering of wheat.  The ones written in the book of life will have their leaven replaced with the sanctified oil of the Holy Spirit in its fullness.

The virgins are waiting for the bridegroom to appear.  Notice they are not traveling to the origin of the bridegroom, but rather, the groom is coming to them.  Jesus will come from heaven, leaving God the Father, to be with his bride and the bridal company on the earth, not in heaven.  The wise virgins escorted him to the place where they had been awaiting his coming.

Genesis 2:24 ASV Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

When Paul speaks of Christ's coming, He speaks of believers meeting Him in the air to escort Him to earth, but not of the believers going to heaven as their final home.

1 Thessalonians 4:17 KJV  (17)  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

This will occur in an almost identical fashion as Moses ascending Mt. Sinai to meet the Lord God.

Exodus 19:20 KJV  And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

Not everyone celebrated the marriage feast, which is called by some as the Feast of Tabernacles. Those who did not have enough oil which is the Holy Spirit, had to go buy more oil.  It was a late hour and they did not return until the door was shut.